Friction ball joint



- c. I HOOPLE FRICTION BALL JOINT Filed April 1, 1929 April 14, 1931.

I) II [III m a R m H N N E o R w m 1/ M S a R 5 .4 a 5:: x I ll w ?""IA A r p0 I-IIIIII W Patented Apr. 14, 1931 PATENT OFFICE CHARLES I. HOOPLE, or HONOLULU, TERRITORY on HAWAII FRICTION BALL JOINT Application filed April 1, 1929. Serial No]. 351,736. 7

My invention relates to improvements in friction ball joints, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements hereinafter described and claimed.

I am well aware of ball joints that are freely movable and depend upon lubrication to aid in the free movement. I am not aware, however, of a friction ball joint that has an operating are up to a full right angle, the

joint being heldin adjusted position and being designed to operate without lubrication.

vMy device is extremely simple in construc tion, and may be used for various purposes in which one object must be moved with respect to another and be held in its new position without further adjustment being necessary. My device is not {designed for a continuous or constant movement, but is intended to be used in appliances in which infre quent but thoroughly flexible changes of po sition may be made, and in which all of the parts will remain in any desired position because of friction between the parts.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through one form of my device;

Figure 2 shows a section through a modified form of the device;

Figure 3 shows a grouping of the forms shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is an end elevation of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section through another modified form of the device;

Figures 6 and 7 are end and side views of a part used in the device shown in Figure 5; and

Figure 8 is a plan view of a supporting base.

In carrying out In invention I provide a casing 1 that is pre erably circular in cross section. At one end I dispose a fiber socket seat 2. At the opposite end I dispose a plug 3. The plug is held in place by a pin 4: and is provided with a drain opening 5 and a threaded recess 6.

The seat 2 is yieldingly held against a ball 7 by means of a spring 8. The spring is disposed between the seat and the plug 3. i

The ball is held in place Within the casing by a fiber washer 9, and thi in turn is pre vented from moving outwardly by the crimped; end 10 of the casing 1. The ball 7 is held in adjusted position by the fiber washer 9, andthe fiber socket seat 2. Theforce exerted by the spring 8 is suflicient to hold the ball in adjusted position but at the same time the ball. may be moved into a new position. i a c c The ball 7 has a stem 11, and the latter has" a shoulder 12 witha projection 13 thereon. 1

This projection has a flattened face 14 as shown in Figure 4c, and an internally and externallygthreaded shank 15 extends from the projection. In Figure 8, I show a support 16 X that has an opening 17 for receiving the pro- 1 jection 13. The flat portions of the opening and projection coincide so as to prevent rotation of the member 16 on the stem 11. A nut (not shown) may be threaded upon the portion 15 forsecuring the support 16in place. If it is desired to rotate the portion 15 into a threaded recess, a pin (not shown) may be inserted in an opening 18 in the ball 7. This pin acts as a handle for permitting the rotation of the ball. Againreferring to Figure it 8, it will be noted that the support 16 has openings 19 through which bolts may be passed for. securing a camera or other device on the support. The threaded bore 6 may also be screwed down upon a threaded shank projecting from a camera tripod or the like. do not intend to confine the device to supporting acamera in any desired position, but I merely mention such. a use to showhow a camera may be supported in a fixed position and yet be turned into any desired position.

The casing 1 is provided with a number of longitudinally-extending recesses 20 (seFig ures 1 and 4E), and the casing wall is made thicker at this place. These are large enough to receive the stem ll, andgwill permit the stem to be rot-ated'into a full right angle with respect to the axisof the casing 1. As many recesses as desired may be used. When the device.

recesses are employed, thefiber washer 9 is made up of sections as shown in Figure 4.

In Figure 2 I show a modified form of the In this form the spring 8 is done away with. The ball 21 has an integral shank 22 that is threaded internally as at 23. The ball 21 has an opening for a pin. IVith-J in the casing I dispose a sleeve 241' This sleeve is held in place by a crimped end 25" of the casing, and the sleeve'carriesa fiber wash= er 26 and a fiber seat 27. The seat 27 is grooved as at 28 for receiving a pini29i The seat 27 and the fiber washer 26 grip the ball 21 and hold it in adjusted p'osition;

InVFigure 3 I show a combination of the forms of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2.

y In this form o f th'e device the casing 1' is re- V8 bears againstzthefib'er seat 27 The purceivedw'vithinxthe casing-30, and" the spring pose-of this constru'ction is' tocause the same spring 8 tovi'orce the se'ats2 and 27 against 7 their respective balls 7'. and 21 for holding the latter in adjusted position. IALt the same at 38 for holding thewasher 37 in place.

' which isj-s'ecu'red'a small casing 33 by means of a pin 34''.

A small ball 35 is'mounted in thecasing 33 and ishe'ld in place bya seat 36' and a washer 37. V The end oi? the casing 33" is crimped as The ball-35 carries a shank 39 to whichob ject's may. beratta'ched. r i

The spring Sin this form of the device."

causesthe seats 2 and 36150 frictio'nally engage with the' balls 7 and 35'. It'will be noted that the springbears against' the seat 2 and, also-against a frictiondisc 40. The latter I claim: 7 V

1. A friction ball joint comprising a casing having a crimped end, a'seat disposed at one end of said casing, a fiber ring held in position by the crimped end of the casing, a ball received between the seat and the fiber ring andcarrying. a shank forsupportingian ob ject, a smallseat disposed at the otherend of saidicasin g, a small ball carried thereby, a

plungerbearingagainst the second seat, and

a spring for bearing against the first seat and the plunger;

27A casing having a reduced portion, a spring mounted in the larger part of the'casing, a slide mounted in the reduced'portion and being yieldingl-y 'urg'ed'in one" direction by the spring, a ball seat bearing againstsaid removal of the ball. 7

ical-shaped member disposed therein, a. sec

0nd casing secured to the sm'aller endiofi the. member, said' member having a boreya slide mounted therein, a ball seat slid'ably: mounted in the second casing and bearing against said slide, a ball mounted-f 1n the seat, th'et second casing having a crimp'ed end foriretainin'gj the ball, and a'sprmg bear mgagainst the Slide for causing the seatto hold the ballin adjust-- ed position. f r

3. A casing having the largeren'd ot a con- 1 cnA-RLEs r: 'HGQPILE;

slide, a ball-disposed in the seat,said ca'sing 1 having a; crimped portion fo'rpreventing the ice bears against a movable member llthat is Q 7 slidably mounted in the plug, 31. .The member 41 bears'again'st the seat 36 andhas a slot 12 forslidably'receiving thepin 3 1 and aislot 4E3 forslidably receivinga' pin'i li that is used for connecting the plug 3 1 to the casing 1. The member 41 is shownin Figures" G'and 7 'Tli'espring 8v keeps both-ofthe balls 7' and 35 in adjusted position. I

The casing -lfma y support a section of my anti-glareshield', shownin my copending application Serial No. 277,631-filedhlVIay 14, 1928;

Although IV have shown and. described several; embodiments of: my inventiomitis to be understood that; the same is; susceptibleof various changes,- andI reservethe right to' employ'snch changes as may come within the scope of they invention as claimed. I 

